


Can't Call You Up Without a Reason

by teleprophetic



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, M/M, can it be considered a college au if they were already in college?, hide plays the guitar, kaneki is studying literature
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 20:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2786234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teleprophetic/pseuds/teleprophetic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaneki is trying to study but his neighbor seems to have forgotten about quiet hours.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Noisy Neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWjM3wIkPo4) is the song Hide is playing. When I heard it I immediately thought of these two, and I could totally imagine Hide singing this. The title was also inspired by the song.

Kaneki was sure finals week was going to be the death of him.

Especially now that his neighbor had decided quiet hours just weren’t for them. The sound of a guitar was drifting through the walls of Kaneki’s dorm room and he was about ready to tear his hair out. He had been so happy to get a single at the beginning of the semester since he had always been more of an introvert but on top of that he also preferred to study in silence; it helped him focus on what he needed to do.

Everything had been fine until about five minutes ago, when his neighbor had picked up their guitar and started playing while Kaneki was desperately trying to study for his foreign literature exam the next day. For a few minutes the brunette had been able to tune the notes out, but then his neighbor had started playing more enthusiastically and Kaneki lost all hope. Didn’t this person know that quiet hours were from 8pm to 7pm? They should; there were flyers put up all over the hall, the elevators, the stairs, and even in the bathrooms. There’s no way they _couldn’t_ know. So they had picked up their guitar in blatant disregard for everyone in the hall around them and decided to play. Who does that?

Kaneki groaned in frustration, putting his pencil down on the papers spread out around him. There’s no way he could study like this. As much as he wanted to avoid a confrontation, it was really important that he passed this final, and he couldn’t study with this person playing their stupid guitar at 10 o’clock at night.

Getting to his feet, the brunette stretched, the little pops from his spine cracking filling the room. He had just taken a step toward his door when the music faded out. Kaneki paused mid-step; had his neighbor decided to call it a night? 

Apparently not. Another song started up, this one a bit more energetic than the last. Sighing, the brunette continued to his door and stepped into the hall. Walking to the next door over, he was about to knock when he heard a voice start singing from the other side of the wood.

I can't feel your bones but I can see them

And I can't call you up without a reason 

His neighbor had a nice voice, not too deep but still low and pleasant sounding. The brunette found that he wanted to hear more. He was glad it was later in the week; most of the people on the floor had already completed their finals and had left for vacation, so there would be fewer people who could find him standing creepily outside his neighbor’s door.

I can take a thousand miles and I can drive for hours to your house in the

Summer

But I could stay for longer if you wanted me to

Oh oh oh oh oh

I've been up and I don't sleep enough

And oh oh

I don't sleep enough

And oh oh

I know we don't talk as much but I can hear you still

Oh oh oh oh oh—

Pulling himself out of his trance, Kaneki decided now would be the best time to knock. He steeled himself and rapped his knuckles against the wood.

The music from the other side of the door died immediately and he could hear someone moving around inside. The footsteps came closer to the door, and it opened. A blonde boy was standing in front of him, just a little taller than Kaneki himself, whose brown eyes looked out at him in confusion. Kaneki could see the room behind the blonde, which had a lived in look; it wasn’t messy per-say, but there were clothes on the ground and papers all over the desk.

Before he could observe much more, the blonde broke the silence.

“Uh hello. Did you need something?” he asked. His voice was just as pleasant when he wasn’t singing, and Kaneki was surprised to admit that his neighbor happened to be pleasant looking as well. The brunette had never really had a crush on anyone before, save for a girl who happened to frequent a coffee shop he liked (he had never really had the courage to talk to her), but this stranger was really attractive. His brown eyes were warm and his hair was a golden blonde that reminded Kaneki of the sun. His cheeks and lips looked soft and Kaneki found himself stumbling over his words.

“Huh? O-oh yeah, w-well I’m your neighbor, and I’m—“

“Oh so you’re my mysterious neighbor? I had begun to think that room was empty! My name is Nagachika Hideyoshi, but you can call me Hide. It’s nice to finally meet you!” he said, a smile lighting up his face, further reminding Kaneki of the sun.

“I-it’s nice to meet you too. I’m Kaneki Ken,” replied the brunette, smiling lightly at the blonde.

“Well, was there a reason you knocked? Or did you just want to finally meet some of your floor mates, now that the semester is pretty much over?” asked the blonde. His words could have been taken as rude if not for the joking tone behind them and the grin on his face. Kaneki knew he hadn’t been the most outgoing floor mate, so he didn’t mind the joke; he knew maybe two or three people from the floor by name, and only because they had similar schedules and saw each other either in the bathrooms or in the elevator. Other than that, he hadn’t gone to any of the floor meet-ups and he didn’t leave his room often. When he had to go to floor meetings, he came right on time and stayed in the back and left as quickly as he could. If anything, Kaneki was surprised the blonde was joking with him, since they had been neighbors for almost four months now and they hadn’t spoken a word yet this semester. That was a good sign at least. This may go better than Kaneki expected.

“Well actually, I’m studying for a final right now, and I was hoping you could quiet down a little? I’m sorry, it’s just your guitar playing was a little distracting and I need to do well on this final. I don’t mind if you play any other time, but just for tonight can you at least play quietly?” asked the brunette, his gaze lowered to the floor as he scratched his neck. He really hoped the blonde didn’t get mad. That’d be too much stress for one night and he didn’t really have the energy to try and reason with him. 

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry! That’s my bad, I totally forgot about quiet hours!” said the blonde with a light laugh.

“Oh it’s okay. Thank you for understanding,” Kaneki said, bowing his head slightly before making a move to leave.

“Wait!” said Hide quickly, grabbing the brunette’s wrist so he couldn’t leave yet. Kaneki’s eyes widened as he turned his head back to the blonde. “I feel bad about distracting you. Let me make it up to you sometime. Do you like coffee?” the blonde asked, his voice full of hope.

Kaneki was taken aback by the blonde’s sudden question. Was he being asked out on a date? Well either way, it was free coffee, and he’d need a break after this final.

“Yeah I do,” he responded with a small smile.

“Great! When does your exam get out tomorrow?” asked Hide, his smile glowing even brighter, if that was possible.

“Uhh 12:30, I think,” said Kaneki thoughtfully.

“Okay then, it’s a date! I’ll come knock on your door at 1! I know a great café in town that we can go to, and it’s a really short walk. I think you’ll like it,” he said, finally letting go of the brunette’s wrist.

“Alright, I’ll see you then,” said Kaneki as he once again turned to leave. He made it to his door and had pushed it open before the blonde called to him again.

“Oh and Kaneki! If you need a break from studying, feel free to come knock on my door, I’ll be awake ‘til at least three and I’d love the company,” he said with a grin, his head poking out from around the door frame.

“O-okay,” replied the brunette quickly with a small smile, before slipping back into his room and shutting the door. Hopefully the blonde hadn’t seen the blush on his face. Unfortunately he didn’t think he’d be able to take his neighbor up on his offer; he had a lot of studying to do and needed as much sleep as he could get. But he couldn’t deny the fact that his stomach fluttered every time he thought about their date tomorrow.

Oh right. The blonde had even called it a date. The thought made Kaneki blush even harder and his face felt so warm it was like he was standing in the sun on a hot summer day. But he couldn’t think about that now. He had some studying to do. Focus first on that.

Even in the silence that now permeated his room, he found that his mind was still having trouble focusing because his thoughts kept drifting to a certain blonde guitar player who had offered to buy him coffee.


	2. Beyond Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hide is possibly more of a nerd than Kaneki, and the CCG is a cafe.

It was just about half past noon when Kaneki finished his exam. 

He left the building with a smile, relieved to have finished and happy because his studying had paid off. The exam had gone much smoother than he had expected and it left him with a light feeling in his chest, which was only compounded by the fact that he had less than an hour until he got to spend more time with his cute neighbor.

The thought made him speed up in excitement and Kaneki was back to his dorm in less than ten minutes. 

Standing in front of his wardrobe, the dark haired boy pulled open the doors enthusiastically, only to be met with the sudden realization that he had no idea what to wear. He wanted to look nice, to impress his new acquaintance, but he didn’t want to look too nice and coming off as too formal or weird. Then again, if he dressed too casually it may seem like he didn’t care about the date, or whatever it was.

After twenty minutes of indecision, Kaneki was finally dressed appropriately, or so he hoped, in jeans and a collared shirt with a sweater and his room looked as though a tornado had spawned in his closet; clothes were strewn all over the floor in front of the wardrobe, on top of his bed, and even on his desk chair. He hastily shoved the offending clothes into the bottom of his closet. He could worry about picking them up after he came back. 

Just then he heard a knock on his door. Checking his phone, the brunette found that it was only 12:59. After glancing at his appearance in the mirror one last time, he walked to the door and pulled it open.

“You’re a little early,” the brunette said, picking up his wallet and keys from the table next to the door.

“What difference does a minute make?” the blonde asked with a little smile, holding the door open for Kaneki. The brunette could almost feel the excitement rolling off of the blonde as he waited somewhat impatiently for him to step into the hall. 

Turning back, Kaneki made sure to lock his door, more out of habit than worry that one of the few people left in the dorms would bother to steal anything from his room. As soon as he heard the click of the lock, Hide took Kaneki’s sleeve and pulled him down the hall and to the stairs, almost too quickly for Kaneki to pull his key out of the door. 

“H-hey, slow down, I can walk by myself you know,” the brunette said, not wanting to get dragged all the way to their destination. 

The blonde immediately slowed and dropped his sleeve, looking sheepish. “Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. I haven’t had anything to do all day, so I’m happy to finally be doing something,” he said, walking a bit more slowly for the brunette, but with a bounce in his step that conveyed his impatience. 

“When do you have your exams?” asked Kaneki, curious as to why he was still on campus so late in the week. He had been one of the unlucky ones in the dorms with a final later in the week, but it was Thursday now and the blonde didn’t seem to be worried about studying for anything, so Kaneki couldn’t help but wonder.

“I had two earlier in the week, one on Monday morning and one Tuesday afternoon. I only have one more, but it’s on Saturday morning.” With that, the blonde groaned heavily. “Who even schedules a final for Saturday?” he asked incredulously, throwing up his hands dramatically, “I know it’s technically part of finals week, but what professor wants to come to school that late in the week? It definitely should be considered a form of torture to have an exam on a Saturday.”

The brunette laughed quietly at the blonde’s dramatic antics. His voice was so full of life and expression that Kaneki could feel his spirits lifting just by hearing it, and the buildings around them seemed just that much brighter and that much more in focus. It was refreshing, being around him. 

“Hey, don’t laugh, this is a serious matter! I could be doing things on the weekend, but I have a final!” the blonde said morosely. 

“That is very unfortunate,” said Kaneki sincerely, “At least the dorm will be quiet when you study, right?”

“Easy for you to say, you like the quiet don’t you? Well, when rabbits get lonely they can die, you know! Who am I supposed to talk to when everyone’s gone?” lamented the blonde.

“I’m sure there will be someone else who has a Saturday final too,” said Kaneki with a small smile.

The blonde sighed heavily. “I hope so… When are you moving out, Kaneki?” he asked, looking over at the brunette.

“Me? Oh, I don’t know, I haven’t planned that yet. Whenever I finish packing I suppose,” he said pensively. 

The blonde hummed quietly in response, a look of concentration on his face. After a few moments of silence, they rounded a corner and the blonde immediately perked up.

“There it is!” he said excitedly, quickening his pace. Kaneki jogged slightly to catch up and looked ahead at the sign. 

“CCG Cafe? I’ve never heard of this place,” the brunette mused aloud. Hide looked over at him, a grin spreading across his face. 

“Not many have. I found it when I was exploring the city earlier this semester. You’ll like it I think, it’s pretty quiet most days,” the blonde said, leading the way up the stairs and into the café.

Glancing around, Kaneki smiled slightly. It did look nice. It was small, there weren’t many people, and it had a comforting, friendly atmosphere. It seemed like a place he could get used to very quickly.

Hide lead the way to an empty table and sat down, the brunette following suit close behind. Once seated, Kaneki continued to look around the small café. There was a TV quietly playing the news on one wall, and windows opening onto a small terrace along another. The plants on the terrace gave the room a homey feel and the trees lining the street outside blocked out the surrounding buildings, adding to the ambiance of the place. 

Just then a blonde waitress came over with a small writing pad in her hand. “Welcome to Anteiku, can I get you anything?” she asked, a small smile on her face. 

“I’ll have a cappuccino, please! And you, Kaneki?” he asked, looking across at the brunette. 

“I’ll have the same,” he replied, looking up at the girl. She seemed to be about their age, maybe a little older. He briefly wondered if she was a student at the university too.

“Alright, I’ll be right back with those,” she said, closing her notebook and turning away.

“So Kaneki, what do you think so far?” asked the blonde, voice full of hope.

“It’s very nice,” he said, glancing around again with a small smile, “I like it, it’s very calming. I’m surprised you like it here; it doesn’t seem like your type of place Hide-san.”

“Oh drop the –san, seriously just call me Hide. And what type of place do you think I would like then?” he asked, a small grin on his face.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said quickly before humming in thought, “Hmmm I’m not sure, but I think you’d be better suited for a more popular place, like maybe a trendier café or a burger place. You seem like you enjoy larger crowds; I’m surprised that you like the quiet here,” he said, looking down at the table.

The blonde laughed. “You’re right, it is kind of unusual for me I guess. I do come off as outgoing, don’t I,” he said amusedly. He paused for a moment before continuing in a calmer voice, his grin softening; “Well, like you said, it’s calming here. I guess I just need some peace and quiet every once in awhile, you know?”

The brunette nodded in agreement as their waitress came back with their coffees. 

“Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else,” she said with another light smile.

“Thank you, miss!” Hide said enthusiastically, immediately picking up his cappuccino and taking a sip.

“Wait Hide, that could be hot!” the brunette exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat worriedly.

The blonde just smiled as he took a sip. The cup clinked against the plate when he lowered it and with a sigh of contentment his smile turned into one of bliss. 

“Ahhh, perfect as always and never too hot to drink,” he said happily, “I see you were worried about my wellbeing though. I’m flattered.” With a wink, he took another sip of coffee. 

Kaneki ducked his head as his cheeks turned pink. He quickly picked up his own coffee and hid behind it as he took a sip. Hide was right; it was the perfect temperature for drinking and it tasted delicious. He took another sip to calm himself before putting his cup back down.

“So Kaneki, what do you like to do, other than study and hide in your room all day?” the blonde asked with interest. 

“Eh? Um, I don’t know… I like to read,” he offered, glancing up at the blonde.

“That’s cool! What kinds of books do you usually read?” Hide asked enthusiastically.

Kaneki let out a small breath of relief he hadn’t realized he was holding. At least Hide didn’t think him lame because all he really did was study and read. “I like horror novels the best, specifically Takatsuki Sen’s work. I find them so fascinating, I’ve liked them ever since I was a kid,” he said, his smile growing on his face.

“Wow, that’s a long time. I like mystery books the best, it’s fun to see how it’ll turn out in the end,” replied the blonde with a grin. 

Kaneki had to duck his head again and take a sip of coffee to steady himself. The light feeling in his chest was growing and he could feel it extending down through the rest of his body. And how wonderful it felt. It’s not like he never got to talk about books with anyone; there was another student in his foreign literature class who liked to talk to him about books occasionally, - Tsukishima? Shibayama? - but this was a totally different feeling. “That’s really nice,” he replied, unable to think of anything else to say due to the soaring feeling that was crowding his thoughts.

“So Kaneki, what are you studying?”

“Oh, I’m majoring in literature,” the brunette answered with a small smile.

Hide paused for a moment before laughing loudly. Kaneki stared at him in surprise before his lips pulled down into a frown.

“What’s so funny about that?” he asked defensively, worry settling in his gut.

Hide continued to laugh for a couple seconds before he calmed down enough to speak. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just… I should have guessed,” he said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, “It should have been really obvious from how much you love books that that would be your major.”

Kaneki’s anxiety dissipated as quickly as it had come and he smiled softly again. “Ah okay. So then what do you study Hide?” he asked. 

“I’m majoring in international studies, specifically foreign relations. It gets kind of boring sometimes, but I really enjoy it overall,” the blonde replied.

“Oh wow, that’s amazing. Is it ever difficult?” asked Kaneki, curiosity coloring his voice.

“The language requirement is a little tedious, but overall it’s not too difficult.”

“Language requirement?”

“Yeah, we have to get a certificate in at least one foreign language. I couldn’t pick just one though, so I’m double minoring in English and German.”

“A double minor? That must be a lot of work.”

“It’s not too bad. I already took my advanced conversations exam for English, so I only have my advanced grammar exam for German left. Of course it’s a Saturday exam, but it shouldn’t be too difficult,” said Hide with a confident smile.

Kaneki just stared at him with wonder. He never expected the blonde to be this interesting. A major and a double minor… he was definitely playing down how much work he had. He was only required to get a certificate, and yet he went above and beyond expectations and took on a double minor. Hide was definitely not what Kaneki had thought him to be; he was so much more, and he was only seeing the surface. 

Throughout the rest of their conversation, Kaneki found himself captivated, hanging on every enthusiastic word that came out of the blonde’s mouth. Whether he was talking about his favorite food or a show he just found last week, everything was said with life and vigor, entrancing the poor brunette.

It was only when Hide glanced up at the clock and laughed in surprise that Kaneki came out of his stupor. 

“Wow it’s already been three hours? Time really does fly, huh Kaneki?” he asked, his grin so bright it was blinding. 

Kaneki nodded in agreement, amazed that it really had been three hours since they got there. It felt like no time had gone by at all. He found that he was wishing it could go on forever, them just sitting here and talking like this. It was calming and invigorating at the same time. After so many months of being lonely and barely having enough energy to walk to the dining hall to get food, the change that Hide brought with him was very welcome. 

“Hey, do you think you’d be able to stay for the rest of the week? It’s only two days, and well, I’d really enjoy the company. The dorms get so quiet at the end of the semester,” explained the blonde, scratching his cheek lightly. 

Surprised, the brunette looked up at him. Hide wanted him to stay? He must have enjoyed this as much as he had, then. The thought made Kaneki smile wider. He didn’t really have anything to go back to anyways. A lonely apartment and a job at Anteiku, the coffee shop down the street was all he really had, and while his coworkers were really nice, he’d much rather spend his time with his new friend. Plus, he told Yoshimura that he could start working again on Monday, so he had the time. 

“Sure, I don’t see any problem with that,” he said, excitement coiling around his heart. 

“Really? Awesome!! That makes me feel so relieved. Anyways, we should probably get going, or Akira-san is going to make us buy more coffee,” he said, pulling out some money and leaving it on the table.

“Akira-san?” asked the brunette.

“Yeah, our waitress! I come here a lot, so I know a lot of the employees here,” he replied with a grin, “Amon is the dark haired one behind the counter, and that’s Seidou over there taking that table’s order. Maybe I can introduce you to all of them sometime!” he said happily as he stood up.

Kaneki followed suit and walked behind him out into the street again. They fell into step next to each other as they made their way back to campus, talking about trivial things, like their mutual excitement for warmer weather and books they’ve read. 

With the sun shining down and a warm breeze to ruffle his hair, Kaneki thought he had never been more content with his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been absent for awhile, my mental health has not been what it should be. Now that I'm feeling better though, I'll be updating weekly!


	3. Sunny Smiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaneki's crush develops even more and Hide is the embodiment of sunshine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is un-beta'd and a little rushed, so I apologize for any awkwardness or spelling mistakes!

The sun was still shining brightly when they got back to their dorm. Hide looked over at the brunette as they neared the doors. “Hey, do you think you could help me study for my German exam for a little while? I want to start studying a bit today,” he asked hopefully.

“Sure, I’d be glad to,” the brunette replied, following him inside.

They walked up the stairs and down the hall in companionable silence. Hide unlocked his door and walked in, holding it open for Kaneki.

“Here we are!” he said, letting the door close after the brunette came in. The clothes he had seen on the floor last night were gone, and it looked a bit cleaner, despite the papers still strewn all over the desk. Upon closer inspection, he could see that none of them were in Japanese; he could tell some of them were in English. Those were the ones he could understand. He had to learn English for his major as well, so he could easily comprehend them. Then there were some with the same characters that were completely unreadable; those must be in German. Among those were what looked like sheet music. “Ah, yeah sorry for the mess,” Hide said, coming over to straighten out the papers, and grab all of the German notes. Moving to his chair, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a stack of flashcards before walking over to where the window was and dropping everything onto the rug. He patted the spot across from him in invitation. “Hope you don’t mind sitting on the floor! I’ve found it’s where I’m most productive.”

“No, not at all. I study on the floor too sometimes; there’s more room,” the brunette said in agreement as he sat down.

“Right? Anyway, let’s start with these,” he said, passing him the flashcards.

“Alright,” he agreed, taking them and showing the first card.

“Oh, der konjunktiv, lets see…”

It took almost an hour to go through the stack once, but Hide got most of the cards right on the first time. The second time through went quicker, and he got every single one right.

Hide stretched and yawned loudly while Kaneki straightened the cards out. “Ahh, I think it’s time for a break,” the blonde said with a sigh of relief. He pulled his feet underneath him and stood up, joints popping as he straightened up. “Oooh it feels nice to stand,” he murmured, walking over to the wall and grabbing a large black guitar case. “Mind if I play a little bit? It helps me relax,” he said, looking to Kaneki for permission.

“Huh? O-oh sure,” he said, his excitement growing at the thought that he would get to hear the blonde sing again so soon.

“Awesome!” was all the blonde said before taking his guitar out of it’s case, grabbing a pick and sitting down again a little closer to Kaneki.

After taking a minute to tune, he paused for a moment and took a breath. As he released the breath, his expression changed, softening a little bit and becoming calmer.

He began with a simple tune, his hands moving confidently over the strings. After repeating the tune once, he began to sing.

“When all of your flaws, and all of my flaws  
Are laid out one by one,  
A wonderful part of the mess that we made  
We pick ourselves undone,”

His voice was just as nice as he remembered from yesterday: rich and colorful and as lively as his personality. Kaneki found himself smiling as the blonde sang. Hide was already so entranced by the music; his expression had transitioned from calm to serene, his smile soft and his eyes closed. He sang with such passion that Kaneki could feel his heart beating faster in sympathy. Hide was completely different while playing; his sunny and vibrant personality gave way to something deeper and more intense, more like a sunset than a sunny day. The brunette was so fascinated by the change that he didn’t even realize how long he had been playing until the tune changed.

Hide strummed a few chords experimentally before starting a new song, this one quicker and more upbeat. Kaneki instantly recognized it as the song from last night. He took the opportunity to listen to the lyrics more closely, since he had been too annoyed to remember any of them from yesterday.

"I can't feel your bones but I can see them  
And I can't call you up without a reason  
I can take a thousand miles and I can drive for hours to your house in the summer  
But I could stay for longer if you wanted me to

Oh oh oh oh oh  
I've been up  
And oh oh  
I don't sleep enough  
And oh oh  
I know we don't talk as much but I can hear you still

Oh oh oh oh oh  
I’ve been up  
And oh oh  
I don't sleep enough  
And oh oh  
I know we don't talk as much but I can hear you still

Oh oh oh oh oh  
I’ve been up  
And oh oh  
I don't sleep enough  
And oh oh  
I know we don't talk as much but I can hear your voice on the phone  
When you’re up all alone in your room  
‘Cause I am up too"

With that, the song ended, and Hide let out a sigh. The serene expression he had while playing melted away but wasn’t totally replaced. Now he simply looked relaxed and content. “That always helps me calm down,” he said quietly, smile still resting on his lips. He was quiet for a moment, seeming to bask in the feeling. Then his smile widened into a grin and he turned his gaze to Kaneki. “So! What did you think?” he asked brightly, his eyes shining with their usual excitement.

“That was amazing. You can play really well. And you’re voice is really nice too,” gushed the brunette before he could stop himself. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt a blush warm his cheeks and he pressed a hand to his mouth to try and hide his embarrassment.

Hide stared at him in surprise for a brief moment before laughing. “Thanks Kaneki! I’m happy you liked it,” he said, his eyes shining brightly and his smile sincere as he looked at the brunette.

Kaneki could feel his heart stutter and his blush deepen. The blonde was really too kind and happy all of the time, and did he really have to smile at him like that? Kaneki wasn’t sure how he felt about the emotions stirring in his heart. It had only been a day since he met the other boy; was he really that starved for human contact that he was already developing a crush on him? Kaneki knew he found Hide attractive, but this was too much. He probably didn’t even like guys. On top of that, Kaneki was so plain and ordinary that he probably couldn’t get anyone to fall in love with him, let alone someone as interesting and unique as Hide. Kaneki loved books and could draw decently; that was about it for him. He couldn’t fathom why the blonde had asked him out for coffee in the first place. He must have been bored out of his mind the entire time.

Yet he was still smiling like that at him for some reason. Kaneki felt his heart beat stutter again as he responded with a quiet “It’s nothing” and a small smile.

After that, Hide put away his guitar in favor of studying again. Since he wanted to read through his notes, Kaneki picked up one of the books on his shelf and opened it up to pass the time. True to what Hide said earlier, it was a mystery novel, and it was actually pretty interesting. The brunette didn’t even realize that night had fallen until Hide sighed loudly and dropped his notes to the ground.

“Man, studying is exhausting,” he complained, yawning loudly.

Kaneki agreed with a yawn of his own. “Maybe I should leave for the night,” he suggested, closing the book he had been reading.

Something akin to disappointment flashed through the blonde’s eyes so quickly that Kaneki was sure he had imagined it. “Yeah, alright,” said Hide as he stood. He extended a hand to help the brunette up, and if Hide noticed the shake in Kaneki’s hands he didn’t mention it.

The two exchanged pleasantries and Kaneki returned to his room. His nightly routine went by in a blur, and then he was staring at the dark ceiling above him, his thoughts flitting through his mind so quickly he didn’t think he’d ever get to sleep. Memories from the day spun through the mess; of Hide smiling, of his laugh, the way his eyes lit up when he was talking about something he loved, how he handled his guitar with such delicacy and care, his warm voice matched with the notes falling from the strings. Every time the brunette closed his eyes, there he was again, smiling as brightly as the sun with eyes sparkling like stars on a moonless night. And when he opened his eyes the afterimages remained, keeping the brunette awake until the early hours of the morning.

And when he finally found sleep, his dreams were filled with golden hair and smiles that made the sun seem dim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Along with the song from the first chapter, Hide is also singing this version of [Flaws](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8eITJ88Psg) by Bastille!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments? Questions? You can reach me on my [tumblr](http://harrucchi.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](https://twitter.com/queenkenma)!


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